Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an operating method for a pump, in particular a multiphase pump, and to a pump, in particular a multiphase pump, for conveying a fluid in accordance with the preamble of the independent claim of the respective category.
Background of the Invention
Multiphase pumps are pumps with which fluids can be conveyed which comprise a mixture of a plurality of phases, for example a liquid phase and a gaseous phase. Such pumps have been well known for a long time and are produced in a large number of embodiments, frequently as centrifugal pumps, for example as single-suction pumps or as double-suction pumps and as single-stage or multi-stage pumps. The field of application of these pumps is very wide; they are used, for example, in the oil and gas industry to convey mixtures of petroleum and natural gas and specifically as pressure-elevating pumps which are also called booster pumps.
It is a known technology to increase or extend the utilization or the exploitation of oil fields using such booster pumps. In particular when the naturally present pressure in an oil field decreases as the oil production increases, the pressure exerted on the borehole is reduced by a booster pump due to the conveying of the pump so that the oil can continue to flow out of the borehole.
These pressure-elevating pumps frequently have to generate high pressures because the boreholes are very deep or are difficult to access so that very long lines or pipelines are required between the borehole and the processing or storage devices. This in particular also applies with sub-sea applications when, for example, the outlet of the borehole is on the seabed and the processing or storage equipment is provided on land, on a drilling platform or on a ship as an FPSO (floating production storage and offloading unit). It is necessary for a booster pump to pump over large geodetic heights and to be able to generate a correspondingly high pressure.